Synchronous/ Asynchronous Counters:

In an asynchronous counter, the clock is connected to the first bit and then every
other clock after that is hooked up to the last. This creates a ripple effect, causing
the display to flicker on every few edges of the clock. However, in a synchronous
counter, each bit is connected to the original clock, eliminating the ripple effect.
74LS163/ 74LS193 Chips:
163
counts up
starts at any
number
stops at any
number
D is MSB

193
counts up or
down
starts at any
number
count +1
D is MSB

Wiring/ How it Works:

To make the circuit start at 00, you need to connect the input of the ones display to
the digital low, as well as the Q of the J/K flip flops of the tens display to the input of
the NAND gate. Then to make it count, you connect the clock to the clock of the
ones display and the output nine to the tens display. You make it detect a nine by
running 1001 (DCBA) through a NAND gate and hooking that up to the clock of the
tens display. From there, you connect every Q of the J/K flip flops to the next clock.
So far, your ones display counts from 0-9 and your tens display counts up one every
time the ones display reads nine. Right now it counts from 0- 15, but now we are
going to change that. To make the tens display count from 0-5 and reset again on
the next pulse of the clock, you connect a 4 input NAND gate to 0110, or 6. With
asynchronous counters, you always have to catch a number higher in order to stop
at the desired value.
Different Designs:
Other people in my class used a button instead of a switch to reset their counter.
Other people also hooked up their LOAD differently, using a series of AND gates and
INVERTERS instead of NANDS, like I did.